A stormy Budget session of Parliament on cards tomorrow

New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI) Parliament meets on Monday for
the Budget session when the Opposition is set to pillory the
government on a host of issues including price rise on which
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) will move an adjournment motion on Tuesday.

The three-month session begins with the customary
President's Address to the Joint Sitting of both the Houses.
The "unilateral" initiative by the government to hold
Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan and the rising
Naxal attacks are also on the top of Opposition's agenda.
"On February 23, NDA will bring an Adjournment Motion in
the Lok Sabha and demand suspension of the Question Hour in
the Rajya Sabha on the issue of price rise," Deputy Leader of
BJP in the Upper House S S Ahluwalia told reporters on Sunday.
BJP, the main opposition, the Left and other parties,
including two key partners of the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA)-- Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) and Trinamool
Congress -- have demanded that a discussion on rising
inflation be taken up immediately on the first working day of
the session on Tuesday.
BJP and Left parties have indicated disruption of
proceedings in case the issue of price rise was not taken up
for discussion on February 23.
The Government on its part said it was prepared for a
discussion on the issue of price rise and that a decision on
the timing will be taken at the meeting of the Business
Advisory Committee(BAC) of the Lok Sabha tommorrow.
"Our attitude will be accomodative. We are always prepared
for.....structured discussions on any subject," Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told PTI.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said if the government
agreed to a debate on the issue on the first working day,
there will be no disruption while CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta said
the Left would move an adjournment motion if this demand was
not heeded to.

Bansal said the Government would request the Opposition
that the business segment of the session must always begin
with a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President
on her Address but it would not stand on any "prestige."
"That is the normal thing. we would request them to follow
that system when we talk to each other(at BAC meeting). They
made their attention known that they would'nt let the House
run if we don't discuss price rise before Motion of Thanks."
he added.
Meanwhile, veteran BJP leader L K Advani was on Sunday
elected unopposed as the working chairman of NDA till
incumbent and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
recovers from ill-health. Acting NDA Convenor Sharad Yadav has
been elected as the Convenor. PTI AHM